OCTOBER 6, 1963 -- A full page ad in The Birmingham News signed by 90 prominent citizens called for the mayor and city council to hire black police officers within six months.

"We are aware of the considerable assistance recently rendered to local law enforcement agencies by the volunteer Civil Defense Negro unit which aided in the prevention of further loss of life," the ad stated.

The request also called for the creation of a "Negro precinct ... in the Negro community."

A News article noted several Alabama cities, including Huntsville, Dothan and Mobile, had black police officers.

The article noted a 1953 study that found Birmingham was alone among large Southern cities in not employing black officers.

The Birmingham Public Safety Committee met to discuss the possibility.

Councilman John Golden said after the meeting he did not think Birmingham was ready for the move.

"We should not and I believe would not hire Negro police simply to satisfy the demands of Martin Luther King," said Councilman E.C. Overton.